Mission: Impossible is a series of American action spy films, based on the 1966 TV series created by Bruce Geller. The series is mainly produced by Tom Cruise, who plays Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The films have been directed, written, and scored by various filmmakers and crew, while incorporating musical themes from the original series by Lalo Schifrin.
| Mission: Impossible | |
|---|---|
 Official film series logo | |
| Based on | Mission: Impossible by Bruce Geller |
| Produced by | Tom Cruise Paula Wagner (1-3) J. J. Abrams (4-6) Christopher McQuarrie (6-8) |
| Starring | Tom Cruise Ving Rhames Simon Pegg |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | 1996–present |
Running time | 931 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.05 billion (7 films) |
| Box office | $4.13 billion (7 films) |
Starting in 1996, the films (taking place starting six years after the events of the previous TV sequel series) follow the missions of the IMF's main field team, under Hunt's leadership, to stop an enemy force and prevent an impending global disaster. The series focuses on Hunt's character, and like the television series' structure, is complemented by an ensemble cast, such as Luther Stickell (played by Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (played by Simon Pegg), who have recurring roles.
The series has experienced a generally positive reception from critics. It is the 17th-highest-grossing film series of all time, earning over $4.09 billion worldwide,[1] and is often cited as one of the best action franchises to date. The sixth film, titled Fallout, was released on July 27, 2018 and is currently the series' highest-grossing entry. The seventh and eighth films are feature-length two-parters, with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One released in July 2023 and an untitled eighth film scheduled for release in May 2025. The films are co-produced and released by Paramount Pictures.
In 2024, the series received its first Academy Award nominations, with Dead Reckoning Part One being nominated in the categories of Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the 96th ceremony.[2]
Films
editMission: Impossible (1996)
editEthan Hunt is framed for the murder of his IMF team during a botched mission in Prague and accused of selling government secrets to an arms dealer known only as "Max". On the run, Ethan seeks to uncover the real traitor and clear his name.
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
editEthan goes back in action and works with professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton). The duo go undercover to stop rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) (who is also Nyah's former lover) from stealing a deadly virus, starting a pandemic, and selling the antidote to the highest bidder.
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
editEthan is engaged to Julia Meade (Michelle Monaghan), who is unaware of his true job. He assembles a team to face the elusive arms and information broker Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who intends to sell a mysterious dangerous object known as "The Rabbit's Foot".
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
editEthan and the entire IMF are framed for the bombing of the Kremlin while investigating an individual known only as "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist). Ethan and three other agents are left to stop Cobalt from starting a global nuclear war.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
editEthan Hunt comes under threat from the Syndicate. Faced with the IMF's disbandment, Hunt assembles his team for their mission to prove the Syndicate's existence and bring the organization down by any means necessary.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
editWhen an IMF mission to recover plutonium goes wrong, the world is faced with the threat of the Apostles, a terrorist group formed by former members of the Syndicate. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill the original mission, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
editAn AI called the Entity is responsible for the sinking of the next-generation Russian submarine Sevastopol. The Entity has since gone rogue and entrenched itself into cyberspace; the secret to stopping or controlling it lies with the key, which Ethan Hunt and the IMF must track down, as various world powers and nefarious forces race to obtain the key in order to use the Entity for their own purpose.
Untitled Eighth Film
editIn January 2019, an eighth Mission: Impossible film was announced to be in development, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. It was originally to be filmed back-to-back with the seventh film.[3][4] It was scheduled to be released on August 5, 2022, but was delayed to November 4, 2022, then to July 7, 2023, then to June 28, 2024, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] It was later delayed to May 23, 2025 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Hayley Atwell joined the cast in September 2019,[7] followed by Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham.[8][9] In January 2020, Nicholas Hoult and Simon Pegg were announced to be appearing in the film,[10][11] but Hoult was later replaced by Esai Morales in both films due to scheduling conflicts.[12]
In February 2020, it was announced that Henry Czerny and Vanessa Kirby would return as Eugene Kittridge and Alanna Mitsopolis, respectively.[13][14] In February 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that Part Two would no longer be filmed back-to-back with Part One.[15] Filming of Part Two began shortly after production wrapped on Part One.[16] It was initially billed that both films would be a send-off for Ethan Hunt.[17] In October 2023, Dead Reckoning Part Two was removed as the film's subtitle, with a new subtitle yet to be announced.[18]
Future
editIn June 2023, Christopher McQuarrie stated that Dead Reckoning Part One and its sequel would not end the series, as there are developments for future installments.[19] In July 2023, during promotion for Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise expressed interest in continuing to make further films in the series as Ethan Hunt, despite both films having previously been billed as a send-off to the character.[20] Inspired by Harrison Ford's continued success in the Indiana Jones films, Cruise stated that he would like to keep making Mission: Impossible films until he is likewise in his eighties.[21]
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible | May 22, 1996 | Brian De Palma | David Koepp & Robert Towne | David Koepp & Steven Zaillian | Tom Cruise & Paula Wagner | Released |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | May 24, 2000 | John Woo | Robert Towne | Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore | ||
| Mission: Impossible III | May 5, 2006 | J. J. Abrams | J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman | |||
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | December 16, 2011 | Brad Bird | André Nemec & Josh Appelbaum | Tom Cruise, Bryan Burk & J. J. Abrams | ||
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | July 31, 2015 | Christopher McQuarrie | Christopher McQuarrie | Drew Pearce & Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise, Bryan Burk, Don Granger, J. J. Abrams, Dana Goldberg & David Ellison | |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | July 27, 2018 | Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise, Jake Myers, J. J. Abrams & Christopher McQuarrie | |||
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | July 12, 2023 | Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie | |||
| Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film | May 23, 2025 | Post-Production | ||||
Recurring cast and characters
editThis section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the Mission Impossible film series.
- An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- C indicates a cameo role.
- P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
| Character | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible | 2 | III | Ghost Protocol | Rogue Nation | Fallout | Dead Reckoning Part One | Eighth film | ||
| Ethan Hunt | Tom Cruise | ||||||||
| Luther Stickell | Ving Rhames | Ving RhamesC | Ving Rhames | ||||||
| Eugene Kittridge | Henry Czerny | Henry Czerny | |||||||
| William Donloe | Rolf Saxon | Rolf Saxon | |||||||
| The Contact | Andreas Wisniewski | Andreas WisniewskiC | |||||||
| Benji Dunn | Simon Pegg | ||||||||
| Julia Meade | Michelle Monaghan | Michelle MonaghanC | Michelle Monaghan | ||||||
| William Brandt | Jeremy Renner | ||||||||
| Ilsa Faust | Rebecca Ferguson | ||||||||
| Solomon Lane | Sean Harris | ||||||||
| Alan Hunley | Alec Baldwin | ||||||||
| Alanna Mitsopolis The White Widow |
Vanessa Kirby | ||||||||
| Zola Mitsopolis | Frederick Schmidt | ||||||||
| Erika Sloane | Angela Bassett | Angela BassettP | |||||||
| Grace | Hayley Atwell | ||||||||
| Jasper Briggs | Shea Whigham | ||||||||
| Degas | Greg Tarzan Davis | ||||||||
| Gabriel | Esai Morales | ||||||||
| Paris | Pom Klementieff | ||||||||
| Marie | Mariela Garriga | ||||||||
| Head of the NSA | Mark Gatiss | ||||||||
| Head of the NRO | Charles Parnell | ||||||||
Additional crew and production details
editReception
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Budget | Box Office Gross | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | International | Worldwide | |||
| Mission: Impossible[22] | May 22, 1996 | $80 million | $180,981,856 | $276,714,535 | $457,696,391 |
| Mission: Impossible 2[23] | May 24, 2000 | $125 million | $215,409,889 | $330,978,219 | $546,388,108 |
| Mission: Impossible III[24] | May 5, 2006 | $150 million | $134,029,801 | $264,449,696 | $398,479,497 |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol[25] | December 16, 2011 | $145 million | $209,397,903 | $485,315,477 | $694,713,380 |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation[26] | July 31, 2015 | $150 million | $195,042,377 | $487,674,259 | $682,716,636 |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout[27] | July 27, 2018 | $178 million | $220,159,104 | $571,498,294 | $791,657,398 |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning[28] | July 12, 2023 | $291 million | $172,135,383 | $398,500,000 | $570,635,383 |
| Total[29] | $1.047 billion | $1,327,156,313 | $2,812,030,480 | $4,139,186,793 | |
Critical and public response
editThe Mission: Impossible film series has received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with the latter four attracting significant praise directed towards their direction, cinematography, stunts, action sequences, performances, and musical scores.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[30] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible | 66% (66 reviews)[31] | 59 (29 reviews)[32] | B+ |
| Mission: Impossible 2 | 56% (155 reviews)[33] | 59 (40 reviews)[34] | B |
| Mission: Impossible III | 71% (224 reviews)[35] | 66 (42 reviews)[36] | A− |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | 93% (253 reviews)[37] | 73 (47 reviews)[38] | A− |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | 94% (328 reviews)[39] | 75 (46 reviews)[40] | A− |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | 97% (444 reviews)[41] | 87 (60 reviews)[42] | A |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning | 96% (438 reviews)[43] | 81 (66 reviews)[44] | A |
Music
edit
The television version is in a rarely used 5
4 time (an unusual time signature with five crotchets to a bar) and is difficult to dance to,[45] as was demonstrated by a memorable segment of American Bandstand in which teenage dancers were caught off-guard by Dick Clark's playing of the Lalo Schifrin single release.
The opening theme music for the first seven films are stylized renditions of Schifrin's original iconic theme, preserving the 5
4 rhythm, by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Joe Kraemer and Lorne Balfe, respectively.[citation needed]
For Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.'s version featured on the first film's motion picture soundtrack, the time signature was changed to standard pop 4
4 time to make it more dance-friendly, although the intro is still in 5
4 time.[45] The Limp Bizkit song "Take a Look Around" from the soundtrack to the second film was set to a similar 4
4 modification of the theme, with an interlude in 5
4.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Mission Impossible Movies". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 1, 2005. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ "THE 96TH ACADEMY AWARDS – 2024". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. June 12, 2024.
- ^ Orange, B. Alan (January 14, 2019). "Next 2 Mission: Impossible Sequels Will Shoot Back-To-Back with Fallout Director". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ Williams, Trey (January 14, 2019). "'Fallout' Director Christopher McQuarrie to Write, Direct Next 2 'Mission: Impossible' Films". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ McNary, Dave (February 1, 2019). "Tom Cruise 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Dated for Summers of 2021, 2022". Variety. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 24, 2020). "'Mission: Impossible' Sequels Get Pushed Back". Variety. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (September 6, 2019). "Hayley Atwell Joins Tom Cruise in Next 'Mission: Impossible' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 7, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (November 19, 2019). "Next 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Cast 'Guardians' Star Pom Klementieff". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (December 20, 2019). "Next 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Cast Shea Whigham". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 9, 2020). "Nicholas Hoult Joins Tom Cruise in Next 'Mission: Impossible'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Gemmill, Allie (January 18, 2020). "It Sure Sounds Like Simon Pegg Announced He's Back For 'Mission: Impossible 7'". Collider. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ McNary, Dave; Kroll, Justin (May 21, 2020). "'Mission: Impossible 7': Esai Morales Replaces Nicholas Hoult as Villain". Variety. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (February 1, 2020). "Classic 'Mission: Impossible' Character Returning for Sequels". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ "Vanessa Kirby shares her powerful thoughts on self-doubt, quietening her self-critic and learning the art of self-forgiveness". Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Grater, Tom (February 15, 2021). "'Mission: Impossible 7' & '8' No Longer Shooting Back-To-Back". Deadline. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Overhultz, Lauryn (November 27, 2021). "Tom Cruise spotted dangling from airplane wing while filming 'Mission: Impossible 8'". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Brent Lang; Matt Donnelly (February 8, 2022). "'Mission: Impossible 7': How COVID-19 Blew up the Budget of Tom Cruise's Spy Sequel". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 23, 2023). "'Mission: Impossible 8' Delayed to Summer 2025, 'A Quiet Place' Prequel Moves to Summer 2024". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Russell, Bradley (June 19, 2023). "Mission: Impossible won't end with Dead Reckoning, according to the director". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Thomas (July 3, 2023). "'Oppenheimer then Barbie': Tom Cruise picks side in box office battle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (June 5, 2023). "Tom Cruise Wants To Continue Making 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Into His 80s Like Harrison Ford With 'Indiana Jones'". Deadline. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible (1996)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible II (2000)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III (2006)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible II Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Fallout Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ a b Karger, Dave (June 7, 1996). "They Shot, He Scored". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
External links
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Quotations from Wikiquote
Travel information from Wikivoyage
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